Zahid Mubarek Trust

🚨 Are you a racially minoritised person with lived experience of imprisonment? The Zahid Mubarek Trust are holding a national conference 'Race in prisons: learning from the past, shaping the future' on the 28th October in London to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the racist murder of Zahid Mubarek in HM YOI Feltham, perpetrated by his cellmate. The conference will serve as a national call to action to urgently address the continuing racial injustice in our prison system and wider criminal justice system. Featuring keynote speeches from people such as Lord Timpson OBE, Minister for Prisons and Probation, several interactive workshops will take place throughout the day for the creation of a co-produced way forward to achieve racial justice within the system. Find out more and register here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gi6D4E5p  

There's just a month and a half to go until the Zahid Mubarek Trust's national conference 'Race in prisons: learning from the past, shaping the future', held in London on the 28th October. 25 years on since 19-year old Zahid Mubarek was murdered by his racist cellmate in HM YOI Feltham, only a day before he was due to be released, the necessity for this conference is more urgent than ever: racial disparities persist in our criminal justice system despite endless reviews, reports, and commitments, and the far right are more emboldened than ever to express racist sentiments. The day will feature a whole host of interactive workshops tailored for policy professionals, researchers and students, people with lived experience of imprisonment and their families, and people who work in prisons. We'll interrogate topics like what failing to implement the recommendations of the Lammy Review has cost us, why there are gaps in research into prisons and race, how to centre families' voices in exposing racial injustices in prisons, and what anti-racist leadership looks like in practice. The goal of the day will be to create a shared manifesto and wider movement for change which can hold both ourselves and decision-makers accountable when challenging systemic racism. The event is open to anyone working in and around or with an interest in the criminal justice system, and we particularly encourage people with lived experience of imprisonment and their families to attend. Find out more and sign up using the link below 👇 https://lnkd.in/ePHgF3Xd

“When you encounter the criminal justice system, you feel ashamed by your race and colour because you are never taken seriously. That leads to isolation, resentment, and guilt.” - Millicent, a woman with lived experience. Today, the Women’s Justice Reimagined partnership launches a vital briefing setting out our advice to the Women’s Justice Board on the urgent steps needed to address racial disproportionality in the criminal justice system for women. Written in collaboration between Hibiscus Initiatives, Women in Prison, Criminal Justice Alliance, Agenda Alliance, Zahid Mubarek Trust and #MuslimWomenInPrison, the briefing builds on recommendations made in the recent meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group Women Affected by the Criminal Justice System.  We call on the Women’s Justice Board, MoJ and HMPPS to: ● Meaningfully consult and learn from women with lived experience in the development of all policy and legislation, including the current Sentencing Bill ● Embed anti-racist practices in their work ● End the criminalisation of victim/survivors of VAWG, modern slavery, and human trafficking and the further harm caused to them by the criminal justice system ● Improve data and evidence by disaggregating by gender and ethnicity/race with the aim of reducing the disproportionate impact of the CJS on those from marginalised groups ● Sustainably fund women’s specialist services Read and share the briefing to show your support: https://lnkd.in/eucZ_XPi

We proudly support this campaign, which resonates deeply with many of us, acknowledging and respecting our identities and cultural heritage. Most of all, it was identified by children as an important initiative which was designed and delivered through their active involvement. Thank you Shakeil Hemmings for your brilliant work supporting Karlana and HMP Werrington #SayMyName #YCS Sonia Brooks OBE Keith Fraser HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS)

🔔 Conference Announcement: Race in Prisons: learning from the past, shaping the future 🗓 Date: Tuesday 28th October 2025 🕘Time: 9:00am – 5:00pm 📍 Location: City of London (venue details to follow) 📌In-person only This October marks 25 years since 19-year-old Zahid Mubarek was murdered by his racist cellmate on the morning of his release from HMYOI Feltham. This tragedy exposed deep-rooted institutional failures in the criminal justice system. To honour Zahid's memory and confront the enduring realities of racial injustice in prisons, we invite you to a landmark national conference bringing together senior prison leaders, policymakers, researchers, and people with lived experience. 💬 With a keynote address from Lord James Timpson OBE, Minister of State for Prisons, Parole and Probation, and Imtiaz Amin, Uncle of Zahid Mubarek, the conference will explore: - Reality of race equality in prisons 25 years on since Zahid's murder - Progress on the Lammy Review recommendations - Experiences of ethnic minority staff, prisoners and leadership - Perspective of specialist organisations working in prisons This is more than a commemoration. It's a call to action. If you work in or alongside the prison system, don't miss this critical opportunity to reflect, connect, and commit to the change we urgently need and collectively envision. 👉 Save the date: 28 October 2025 Find out more and register: https://thezmt.org/ https://lnkd.in/gy3eVDXM #RacialJustice #PrisonReform #CJS #RaceinPrisons #ZahidMubarek

Last night in Westminster, I attended the APPG session hosted in partnership with the Women’s Justice Re-imagined group to explore what the Women's Justice Board can do to address racial disproportionality in the criminal justice system. Chaired by Kate Osamor MP and kindly supported by Nicola Drinkwater from Women in Prison, the session brought together leaders and advocates committed to challenging the disproportionate criminalisation of Black, Asian, minoritised, and migrant women. Speakers included Baljit Banga, CEO of Hibiscus Initiatives, Yvonne MacNamara, CEO of the Traveller Movement. A woman with lived experience, now working with Muslim Women in Prison, read out powerful testimonies from women currently in prison, collected by the Zahid Mubarek Trust. These stories laid bare the failures of various systems and the emotional and physical toll, as well as their hopes for an approach that truly takes their needs into account, for them and all women. Yvonne MacNamara spoke passionately about the need to recognise the distinct identities and ethnicities within the Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller communities. Too often, grouped, erasing their specific needs and cultural differences, each facing different experiences and forms of discrimination and systemic neglect. Without tailored, culturally competent responses, these women continue to be "pushed through" through the cracks. A key theme throughout the APPG was the need for an intersectional approach to justice. Black women, migrant women, Muslim women, and Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller women all face unique challenges and risks and blanket solutions fail to meet their needs. Race, gender, culture, immigration status, and poverty intersect in ways that intensify harm and limit access to support. A particularly stark example of this is the treatment of migrant women, who are often viewed as a risk, especially if they have insecure immigration status. This perception, underpinned by racist assumptions, leads to them being remanded at higher rates. It is a clear example of how systemic bias disproportionately harms those already most marginalised. We continue to see Black women and girls being over-policed, sentenced and imprisoned disproportionately as well as the continued practise of disbelieving our experiences and not taking us seriously. Indy Cross, the CEO of Agenda Alliance, reminded the room that true inclusion goes beyond presence, and we must truly listen to women with lived experiences, participating at all levels in decision making. In my opinion, lived and learned experiences must sit side by side, and we cannot discuss the criminal justice system without acknowledging systemic racism and disproportionality. #WJB

It was privilege to win the CJA Award in 2018 and share the moment with so many wonderful colleagues from the sector.